1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device displaying information to a user. More specifically, the present invention relates to a display device and a method of displaying information, displaying pieces of information on a plurality of divided areas and, even if an operational mode of an electronic device or an image processing apparatus provided with the display device is changed and screen images are switched accordingly, enabling the user to appropriately grasp the pieces of information displayed in each operational mode. The present invention is also related to the electronic device and the image forming apparatus provided with such a display device.
2. Description of the Background Art
As one type of image processing apparatuses as electronic equipment, image forming apparatuses forming images on recording paper (typically, copy machines) are introduced to many places of business (companies and offices). In such a place of business, it has become increasingly common to connect an image forming apparatus having a printer function or a copy function to a network, to allow use (sharing) by a plurality of users. A multifunction peripheral (MFP) as one type of such image forming apparatuses has a plurality of basic operational modes such as a copy mode, a facsimile mode (hereinafter “facsimile” may also be denoted as FAX or fax), a network-supported printer mode and a scanner mode. In such an image forming apparatus, each user selects an operational mode and selects and makes settings of a function of duplex (two-sided) printing or collective printing (such as 2-in-1 by which two pages of an original document are printed on one sheet, or 4-in-1 by which four pages of an original document are printed on one sheet), whereby images are formed on sheets of paper in a desired manner. Appropriate combinations of these functions come to be more frequently used.
When a user uses such an image forming apparatus, for example, the user inputs image data in the scanner mode, performs image processing (such as collection) by inputting various instructions through an operation panel, and prints the results on a sheet of recording paper. In such a situation, the operation panel, serving as an operation and display unit, functions as an interface between the image forming apparatus and the user. Generally, on the operation panel, a screen image for setting functions in each operational mode is displayed, so that the user can easily set various functions. Further, while a job is being executed, job progress status may be displayed, to allow the user to easily grasp the progress status of the job. In the printer mode executed upon reception of data from an external device, the job progress status may be displayed in accordance with the data received from the external device as a source.
Recently, a touch-panel display having a touch-panel overlapped on a liquid crystal panel (display panel) comes to be increasingly used as such an operation panel. By way of example, items (software buttons) allowing selection of a mode of the image forming apparatus are displayed on the touch-panel display, the user viewing the display presses a position of an item displayed on the touch-panel display (presses a software button), and the operational mode is set.
Such a touch-panel display having both the display and operation functions is advantageous in that it eliminates the necessity of providing a display unit and an operation unit separately. Further, it attracts attention recently since a command can be selected advantageously in accordance with the user's sense, when it is adapted such that a command can be selected in accordance with a trajectory of pressing of the touch-panel display by the user's finger. Examples of such command selection using finger trajectory include the following.
When a plurality of pages are displayed on the touch-panel display as print previews, the following operations may be performed. By a user operation of lightly tapping twice (hereinafter also referred to as double-tapping) a position of a certain page displayed as a preview, a command to display the page in an enlarged or reduced size can be selected. By a user operation trajectory of expanding a space between two fingers (hereinafter also referred to as pinch-out or pinch-open), a command to display the page in an enlarged size can be selected, and by a user operation trajectory of reducing a space between the two fingers (hereinafter also referred to as pinch-in or pinch-close), a command to display the page in a reduced size can be selected. In the following, these operations are denoted as gesture operations. The gesture operations are not limited to the above, and may include: tapping, or lightly touching an item displayed on the touch-panel display; dragging, or sliding an item with a finger; flicking, or lightly sweeping an item to scroll; and pinching with two fingers. It is noted that, strictly speaking, the tapping and double-tapping are not determined by the user operation trajectory on the touch-panel display (determined not by the trajectory but by detection of a position). The user's request, however, can also be detected by these operations and, therefore, these are also included in the gesture operations in the present specification.
Further, in the present specification, an operation other than the gesture operations as such will be described as a touch operation. The touch operation means an operation of detecting a user's request based on the position of operation by the user on the touch-panel. A representative example of the touch operation is an operation of the user pressing a position of an item (pressing a software button) displayed on the touch-panel display.
In an MFP provided with a touch-panel display allowing both touch operation and gesture operation, many pieces of information intended for the user are displayed on the touch-panel display.
By way of example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-229393 (hereinafter referred to as '393 Reference) discloses a method of displaying, on a display device provided on an apparatus having a plurality of functional modes (copy, FAX, scan-to-mail etc.), at least a description related to an operation and the status of the apparatus in each mode, with screen images switched mode by mode.
According to this display method, when a function related to at least one mode among the plurality modes should fail and cannot be used, a special display indicating presence of the unusable function is given on at least a part of a screen image of the currently displayed mode. Further, according to this display method, the special function is continuously displayed even when the screen image is switched.
Therefore, by this display method, if the apparatus malfunctions and a function related to a certain mode becomes unusable, for example, the display to that effect is continuously given on real-time basis, while screen images corresponding to usable functions are displayed to allow use. As a result, the time when the apparatus is stopped becomes shorter, and operation efficiency of the apparatus can be improved.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-308831 (hereinafter referred to as '831 Reference) discloses an image forming apparatus including a plurality of processing functions (copy function, facsimile function, scanner function, electronic mail function, etc.), that improves user operability by controlling screen image transitions.
The image forming apparatus includes a display unit, an operation unit, a detection unit and a control unit. The display unit displays a menu screen image allowing selection of any of the plurality of processing functions, or a function instruction screen image allowing execution of a processing function. The operation unit receives a user operation related to the selected processing function, based on the screen image displayed on the display unit. The detecting unit detects absence of any operation, related to the selected processing function, on the operation unit for a prescribed time period. If it is detected by the detecting unit that no operation is done for the prescribed time period, the control unit returns the screen image on the display unit to an initial display of the function instruction screen image related to the selected processing function.
The image forming apparatus is controlled such that, if no operation is done by the operation unit for a prescribed time period, the detecting unit detects the absence of operation, the function instruction screen image related to the processing function displayed on the display unit is reset, and the display is returned to the initial screen image of the function instruction screen image. Therefore, as an automatic reset process that takes place after the lapse of the prescribed time period, the initial screen image corresponding to the function that has been selected immediately before is resumed. Therefore, when the user is to proceed to the next process, the process function can readily be executed.
Further, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-188054 (hereinafter referred to as '054 Reference) discloses an image forming apparatus in which a preview image of a finished form is displayed before actually printing a copy, allowing the user to change print setting as necessary.
The image forming apparatus includes: an image data input unit; an image storage unit; a tentative finished form information generating unit; an input screen image information generating unit; a display unit; a setting unit; and a copying unit. The image data input unit inputs image data. The image storage unit stores sample image data in advance. The tentative finished form information generating unit generates tentative finished form information expected when setting is done based on various pieces of setting information on the sample image data. The input screen image information generating unit generates input screen image information including setting process items for receiving various setting inputs related to the tentative finished form information. The display unit displays the input screen image based on the tentative finished form information and the input screen image information. The setting unit outputs the contents of setting inputs received through the input screen image to the tentative finished form information generating unit, to realize the setting. The copying unit executes the process for copying the image data input through the image data input unit, based on the tentative finished form information.
In the image forming apparatus, various items are set on the input screen image provided in accordance with the input screen image information and the tentative finished form information based on the sample image data. The tentative finished form information reflecting the setting is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, pre-scanning of a document becomes unnecessary, and hence the process of setting various items can be done at higher speed.
Various electronic devices as represented by the image forming apparatus and an image processing apparatus include a touch-panel display as a display device. As disclosed in the references described above, various pieces of information are displayed on the touch-panel display. The image forming apparatus as one of such electronic devices has a plurality of functional modes or process functions (operational modes). When a user selects an operational mode, an initial screen image corresponding to the selected operational mode is displayed on the touch-panel display.
With such a configuration, however, it follows that if the user selects one of a plurality of modes to use the image forming apparatus, the screen image displayed for each mode comes to have different arrangements. If the arrangements of screen images among various modes lack unity and the user does not remember the screen image arrangement of each mode, it would be difficult for the user to find a piece of information he/she needs from among the pieces of information displayed on the touch-panel display.
In connection with such a problem, what is disclosed in '393 Reference is only an image forming apparatus in which a basic screen image for each operational mode (including trouble information to facilitate recognition of any trouble) is displayed on the display panel when the user selects an operational mode. What is disclosed in '831 Reference is only an image forming apparatus in which transition to a function instruction screen image of each operational mode is made when an operation is designated on a menu screen image (in auto-reset in the absence of any operation for a prescribed time period or longer, transition is made to the function instruction screen image of the operational mode that has been selected immediately before). What is disclosed in '054 Reference is only an image forming apparatus having a preview displayed at a central portion of the touch-panel and function selection buttons arranged on both sides. Therefore, it is impossible to solve the problem in the apparatus having a plurality of operational modes that it is difficult to find a piece of information the user needs from among the displayed pieces of information when an operational mode is switched and the screen image on the touch-panel display is switched accordingly.